Mixed partitions of sets of triples into small planes

We continue our study of partitions of the set of all ((v)(3)) triples chosen from a v-set into pairwise disjoint planes with three points per line. We develop further necessary conditions for the existence of partitions of such sets into copies of PG(2, 2) and copies of AG(2, 3), and deal with the cases v = 13, 14, 15 and 17. These partitions, together with those already known for v = 12, 16 and 18, then become starters for recursive constructions of further infinite families of partitions. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Searching oligo sets of human chromosome 12 using evolutionary strategies

DNA Microarray is a powerful tool to measure the level of a mixed population of nucleic acids at one time, which has great impact in many aspects of life sciences research. In order to distinguish nucleic acids with very similar composition by hybridization, it is necessary to design microarray probes with high specificities and sensitivities. Highly specific probes correspond to probes having unique DNA sequences; whereas highly sensitive probes correspond to those with melting temperature within a desired range and having no secondary structure. The selection of these probes from a set of functional DNA sequences (exons) constitutes a computationally expensive discrete non-linear search problem. We delegate the search task to a simple yet effective Evolution Strategy algorithm. The computational efficiency is also greatly improved by making use of an available bioinformatics tool.

Construction of representative transcript and protein sets of human, mouse, and rat as a platform for their transcriptome and proteome analysis

The number of mammalian transcripts identified by full-length cDNA projects and genome sequencing projects is increasing remarkably. Clustering them into a strictly nonredundant and comprehensive set provides a platform for functional analysis of the transcriptome and proteome, but the quality of the clustering and predictive usefulness have previously required manual curation to identify truncated transcripts and inappropriate clustering of closely related sequences. A Representative Transcript and Protein Sets (RTPS) pipeline was previously designed to identify the nonredundant and comprehensive set of mouse transcripts based on clustering of a large mouse full-length cDNA set (FANTOM2). Here we propose an alternative method that is more robust, requires less manual curation, and is applicable to other organisms in addition to mouse. RTPSs of human, mouse, and rat have been produced by this method and used for validation. Their comprehensiveness and quality are discussed by comparison with other clustering approaches. The RTPSs are available at ftp://fantom2.gsc.riken.go.jp/RTPS/. (C). 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of context in producing item interactions and false memories

Cued recall with an extralist cue poses a challenge for contemporary memory theory in that there is a need to explain how episodic and semantic information are combined. A parallel activation and intersection approach proposes one such means by assuming that an experimental cue will elicit its preexisting semantic network and a context cue will elicit a list memory. These 2 sources of information are then combined by focusing on information that is common to the 2 sources. Two key predictions of that approach are examined: (a) Combining semantic and episodic information can lead to item interactions and false memories, and (b) these effects are limited to memory tasks that involve an episodic context cue. Five experiments demonstrate such item interactions and false memories in cued recall but not in free association. Links are drawn between the use of context in this setting and in other settings.

The effectiveness of hylan G-F 20 in patients with knee osteoarthritis: an application of two sets of response criteria developed by the OARSI and one set developed by OMERACT-OARSI

Objective: Secondary analyses of a previously conducted 1-year randomized controlled trial were performed to assess the application of responder criteria in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) using different sets of responder criteria developed by the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) (Propositions A and B) for intra-articular drugs and Outcome Measures in Arthritis Clinical Trials (OMERACT)-OARSI (Proposition D). Methods: Two hundred fifty-five patients with knee OA were randomized to appropriate care with hylan G-F 20 (AC + H) or appropriate care without hylan G-F 20 (AC). A patient was defined as a responder at month 12 based on change in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain and function (0-100 normalized scale) and patient global assessment of OA in the study knee (at least one-category improvement in very poor, poor, fair, good and very good). All propositions incorporate both minimum relative and absolute changes. Results: Results demonstrated that statistically significant differences in responders between treatment groups, in favor of hylan G-F 20, were detected for Proposition A (AC + H = 53.5%, AC = 25.2%), Proposition B (AC + H = 56.7%, AC = 32.3%) and Proposition D (AC + H = 66.9%, AC = 42.5%). The highest effectiveness in both treatment groups was observed with Proposition D, whereas Proposition A resulted in the lowest effectiveness in both treatment groups. The treatment group differences always exceeded the required 20% minimum clinically important difference between groups established a priori, and were 28.3%, 24.4% and 24.4% for Propositions A, B and D, respectively. Conclusion: This analysis provides evidence for the capacity of OARSI and OMERACT-OARSI responder criteria to detect clinically important statistically detectable differences between treatment groups. (C) 2004 OsteoArthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new class of critical sets in Latin squares

Previously the process of finding critical sets in Latin squares has been inside cumbersome by the complexity and number of Latin trades that, must be constructed. In this paper we develop a theory of Latin trades that yields more transparent constructions. We use these Latin trades to find a new class of critical sets for Latin squares which are a product of the Latin square of order 2 with a. back circulant Latin square of odd order.

A comparison of the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale for "Heavy drinking" with a single item craving measure: Construct validity and clinical utility

The measurement of alcohol craving began with single-item scales. Multifactorial scales developed with the intention to capture more fully the phenomenon of craving. This study examines the construct validity of a multifactorial scale, the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for heavy drinking (Y-BOCS-hd). The study compares its clinical utility with a single item visual-analogue craving scale. The study includes 212 alcohol dependent subjects (127 males, 75 females) undertaking an outpatient treatment program between 1999-2001. Subjects completed the Y-BOCS-hd and a single item visual-analogue scale, in addition to alcohol consumption and dependence severity measures. The Y-BOCS-hd had strong construct validity. Both the visual-analogue alcohol craving scale and Y-BOCS-hd were weakly associated with pretreatment dependence severity. There was a significant association between pretreatment alcohol consumption and the visual-analogue craving scale. Neither craving measure was able to predict total program abstinence or days abstinent. The relationship between obsessive-compulsive behavior in alcohol dependence and craving remains unclear.

Item validity of the physical demands from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles for the functional capacity evaluation of clients with chronic back pain

This study assessed the item validity of 15 of the physical demands from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), as evaluated in a new approach to functional capacity evaluation (FCE) for clients with chronic back pain, the Gibson Approach to FCE (GAPP FCE). Fifty-two occupational therapists were sent the specifications of the items in the GAPP FCE procedures and were asked to rate the items in terms of item-objective congruence, relevance and difficulty. A response rate of 59.2% was obtained. The majority of the therapists agreed that most of the items were congruent with the objectives based on the definition of the physical demands from the DOT. The items evaluating Balancing and Pushing and Pulling had the lowest item-objective congruence. The evaluation of Balancing and the Lifting, Carrying and Pushing and Pulling of loads greater than light-medium weight (10–16 kg) were not considered significantly relevant. Concerns were raised about the difficulty and safety of the evaluation of Lifting, Carrying and Pushing and Pulling with clients with chronic back pain, particularly if the therapist evaluates the manual handling of medium to heavy loads. These results may have implications for other FCEs, particularly those which are based on the DOT, or when assessing clients with chronic back pain.

Toddler subtraction with large sets: further evidence for an analog-magnitude representation of number

Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that toddlers have access to an analog-magnitude number representation that supports numerical reasoning about relatively large numbers. Three-year-olds were presented with subtraction problems in which initial set size and proportions subtracted were systematically varied. Two sets of cookies were presented and then covered The experimenter visibly subtracted cookies from the hidden sets, and the children were asked to choose which of the resulting sets had more. In Experiment 1, performance was above chance when high proportions of objects (3 versus 6) were subtracted from large sets (of 9) and for the subset of older participants (older than 3 years, 5 months; n = 15), performance was also above chance when high proportions (10 versus 20) were subtracted from the very large sets (of 30). In Experiment 2, which was conducted exclusively with older 3-year-olds and incorporated an important methodological control, the pattern of results for the subtraction tasks was replicated In both experiments, success on the tasks was not related to counting ability. The results of these experiments support the hypothesis that young children have access to an analog-magnitude system for representing large approximate quantities, as performance on these subtraction tasks showed a Webers Law signature, and was independent of conventional number knowledge.

Validation of the Action Research Arm Test using item response theory in patients after stroke

Objective: To validate the unidimensionality of the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) using Mokken analysis and to examine whether scores of the ARAT can be transformed into interval scores using Rasch analysis. Subjects and methods: A total of 351 patients with stroke were recruited from 5 rehabilitation departments located in 4 regions of Taiwan. The 19-item ARAT was administered to all the subjects by a physical therapist. The data were analysed using item response theory by non-parametric Mokken analysis followed by Rasch analysis. Results: The results supported a unidimensional scale of the 19-item ARAT by Mokken analysis, with the scalability coefficient H = 0.95. Except for the item pinch ball bearing 3rd finger and thumb'', the remaining 18 items have a consistently hierarchical order along the upper extremity function's continuum. In contrast, the Rasch analysis, with a stepwise deletion of misfit items, showed that only 4 items (grasp ball'', grasp block 5 cm(3)'', grasp block 2.5 cm(3)'', and grip tube 1 cm(3)'') fit the Rasch rating scale model's expectations. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that the 19-item ARAT constituted a unidimensional construct measuring upper extremity function in stroke patients. However, the results did not support the premise that the raw sum scores of the ARAT can be transformed into interval Rasch scores. Thus, the raw sum scores of the ARAT can provide information only about order of patients on their upper extremity functional abilities, but not represent each patient's exact functioning.

A flaw in the use of minimal defining sets for secret sharing schemes

It is shown that in some cases it is possible to reconstruct a block design D uniquely from incomplete knowledge of a minimal defining set for D. This surprising result has implications for the use of minimal defining sets in secret sharing schemes.